DMHS 66

Kian smoothly changed the subject.

“Then, the two of them must be great shamans? I once heard that in the Delia tribe a great shaman is appointed as chieftain.”

“That is right. The two of them are the most outstanding shamans among all the clans. They will also attend the banquet later, so please talk with them. They will be glad too.”

Kian nodded.

‘One of the two might be the culprit.’

“Please come this way.”

Bashim walked up the hill with the lake behind him. He arrived at a red building right in front of the temple.

After passing the inspection at the entrance, Bashim guided Kian and Lucien into a splendidly decorated room.

“Today is the last day of the festival. There will be a ceremony to bless the union of a new couple. The chieftain said it would be the greatest honor if the two of you take part. What will you do?”

Kian looked at Lucien. Lucien nodded like either way was fine.

“Understood. Do we need to prepare anything?”

“You will receive the blessing prayer from the high priest later. If you agree, I will prepare wedding garments.”

Soon after, an attendant entered carrying wedding garments in both hands.

The Delia tribe’s wedding garments were not much different from the kingdom’s. The only difference was that the bride’s purple garment was replaced with red.

‘Since they were originally the same people, it is only natural.’

The attendant placed a wedding garment in front of Kian and Lucien.

Kian covered his mouth with his fist and coughed to hide his laugh. The attendant had given the male wedding garment to Kian and the female wedding garment to Lucien.

“The clothes are switched. He is the dragon, and I am his mate.”

“What? Ah! I am sorry! I made a mistake.”

Kian smiled gently at the flustered attendant.

“Lord Lucien is so beautiful that I understand.”

The attendant, floundering, said he would find another garment and went out. After a long while he returned empty-handed.

“Um, I am sorry. What I just showed you is the largest size among the bridal garments. The person whose body fits must wear the bridal garment.”

Kian and Lucien stood side by side in front of a mirror.

The attendant held the bridal garment to Kian’s neck, then quickly shook his head.

Next, the attendant held it to Lucien’s neck. His eyes narrowed.

“Lord Lucien might fit.”

Lucien gave permission more easily than expected.

“If I look beautiful in the eyes of my mate, it is worth trying on.”

Soon Lucien finished changing and came out. He brushed back the red veil with the back of his hand and showed his face, then he smiled with his eyes at Kian, who was sitting on the sofa.

A playful voice seemed to whisper by his ear.

‘How do I look?’

To answer honestly, it looked ridiculous and unnatural. It was about the same as when Kian wore a wedding garment.

No matter how slim his build was, he was a man. His straight shoulders stood out too much, and his wrists stuck out from the short sleeves.

His face under the veil was graceful like a lily, but only up to that point. Below the neck it was unbearably awkward.

Even so, Kian could not take his eyes off Lucien.

‘Beautiful.’

He thought this must be how a groom feels when he sees his bride.

Light seemed to be floating around Lucien. Kian felt satisfied that this person was his.

Lucien, pleased with the gaze fixed on him, spun around once. The fluttering red fabric floated up and fell down.

Kian clapped, clap clap clap and said before he even thought.

“You really look good……”

At that moment the only level-headed attendant cut him off.

“I will prepare male wedding garments for both of you.”

“No, this garment also……”

“My thought was narrow. There is no need for one of you to wear the female garment.”

“So then……”

“I will take that garment away right now. I apologize for wasting time on something unnecessary.”

Kian could not break through the attendant’s iron defense.

In the end the two of them changed into male wedding garments side by side. After attaching brooches that carried each other’s eye color, they heard the sound of a horn from outside.

Buuuuuu.

Following Bashim’s guidance, the two stepped out of the building.

From the temple entrance at the top of the hill down to the oasis, a steep path was now covered with a red carpet.

Couples in wedding garments began walking up that path in a line. People who had poured out on both sides of the path cheered and applauded.

Kian and Lucien joined the line about halfway up. Both wore male wedding garments, and since they had rare blond and black hair among the Delia tribe, they stood out even from a distance.

The people recognized who they were and cheered louder.

“Ahh!”

“It is Gold Dragon Lucien!”

“Welcome, descendant of the hero called by the Goddess! Your mate is wonderful too!”

Kian scrunched his nose in embarrassment and bowed his head to the people one by one.

How long had they walked? As they got closer to the temple, the number of people decreased.

When Kian came to his senses a little, he started to wonder about Lucien, who was walking while holding his hand.

‘Was he flustered too?’

But when he remembered the wedding procession where Lucien had waved naturally, he thought it was more likely that he was smiling shamelessly instead.

Kian turned his head and immediately met Lucien’s eyes. His gaze ignored everything around him and only stared at Kian.

By now, Kian should have been used to such a gaze, but…

‘Ah…’

Kian swallowed slowly. His mouth was dry and his mind went blank.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

‘Again.’

His heart suddenly made its presence known. Kian consciously closed his jaw that was about to drop open.

‘I need to send a letter to Frederick to ask when exactly the potion’s effect will wear off completely.’

Every time he saw Lucien, the feeling was unbearably unfamiliar. He could only endure it by telling himself it was because of the potion.

‘But…’

There was something else uncomfortable besides the tension. Every time he became conscious of Lucien, what had happened that day came to mind.

The clear eyes that had shown through the strands of sweat-soaked hair. The hand that had taken his and shaken it without hesitation.

The obscene sounds of friction that were too indecent to speak of, and even the body scent mixed with the fragrance oil.

–Haa…

When he recalled how Lucien had looked down at him with eyes full of desire, his hair stood on end. He felt like he could hear the hot breath by his ear. It was tension that he could not dismiss as simply unpleasant.

‘Damn.’

Kian pressed down on his restless heart and turned his gaze away. On top of the building, he saw a statue of an eagle carrying an olive branch.

They had arrived at the temple.

***

“It is time to offer the blessing prayer, High Priest.”

At the priest’s words, Salman Harkin, who had been praying, opened his eyes.

Salman was both the Delia tribe’s highest high priest and their chieftain. For one who served the Goddess of Creation and the God of Destruction, the two weeks from the Night of Destruction to the Festival of the Ocean was a time filled with concerns.

“Have they arrived?”

The priest understood Salman’s words and nodded.

“They are waiting at the temple now.”

“Then we must hurry.”

When Salman arrived at the temple, he checked the gathered couples. When he saw black hair among them, he swallowed.

‘So it is him.’

Salman prayed a blessing over the couples who came up to the altar. Finally, it was Lucien and Kian’s turn.

Salman tried not to show his agitation and dipped his fingertips in holy water.

“Faithful Goddess, bless the union of this new couple.”

He placed his hand on Lucien’s head and then withdrew it as he spoke the prayer. The blessings he had given to the earlier couples had not been lies, but compared to the feeling contained in this one, they could not compare.

‘Please grant this world a long blessing as well.’

Salman could communicate with the gods. For him, the Goddess showed parallel worlds. A parallel world was a dimension that usually followed a similar pattern to this one.

So far Salman had seen countless futures, but the end was always darkness.

‘This world will perish.’

The cause differed each time. Sometimes it was an internal power struggle within the kingdom, sometimes monsters that appeared in the south, and sometimes other factors.

Whatever the case, the result was always the same.

‘Is destruction the only answer?’

Even though Salman knew the cycle of the world was the will of the gods, he could not help but regret it. It was because he was not only the high priest but also the chieftain who led the people.

According to the futures he had seen, this festival was most likely to end in a bloody massacre. But today, Salman focused on the possibility that the festival could end peacefully.

There was one variable that could change the future.

‘A mate.’

In all the futures Salman had seen, no dragon had ever had a mate. Naturally, there had never been a case where the dragon took part in the festival with a mate.

Salman looked down at the man waiting for the blessing with curious eyes.

He had lowered his eyes and kept his mouth closed. It was quite different from the vague image Salman had imagined when he heard the rumor about the dragon having a mate.

‘Even if he is a man, I thought he would be a small and pretty type. But he looks more like a warrior than a mate.’

He carelessly thought but Salman’s eyes widened.

‘……!’

Now that he thought about it, the face was familiar.

Black hair and black eyes. Pale skin, and even the cold expression. The partner looked similar to the hero Yan.